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Medicine men : tooth of the mastadon at Peru, Indiana : Osage village

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In 1843 when in the town of Peru some littleexcitement was [gotten?] up by the discoveryof a mamoth [mammoth] tooth, that was found by alaboring man in a corn field of the Osagevillage a few miles distance from Peru.

The tooth could not fail to interest thecurious – much speculation was awakedin regard to it – Had it been found in thevicinity of a creek – or in marshy landsit might have been regarded as a point whereother portions of the remains of this giganticanimal might be found. There are known[illegible] where remains of the mamoth [mammoth] ormastodon have been found in Indiana.

The [illegible] and finder of the tooth, wasan uneducated – and rather unsophisticated manwho thought that he was going to make a fortuneout of said tooth as he enthusiasticallyexclaimed that he [illegible] an American antiquity.

The poor man was nearly distractedby a joke played upon him one evening onthe bridge that [illegible] the canal – to thebanks of the Wabash, where Chief [Francis] Godfroy’s trading establishment stood.

Some men were examining the tooth whenone of them, a wag, gathered up a stoneslyly and having [illegible] of the tooth, andexamining apparently with much interestexclaimed that it was of no value – He apparently threw it into the canal – but threwthe concealed stone. It splashed up the watergiving back – the natural sound of a something of weight up the surface.

Images in the George Winter Collection should not be used without written permission from the Tippecanoe County Historical Association. To obtain reproduction rights and prices, contact the Tippecanoe County Historical Association, http://www.tcha.mus.in.us

In 1843 when in the town of Peru some littleexcitement was [gotten?] up by the discoveryof a mamoth [mammoth] tooth, that was found by alaboring man in a corn field of the Osagevillage a few miles distance from Peru.

The tooth could not fail to interest thecurious – much speculation was awakedin regard to it – Had it been found in thevicinity of a creek – or in marshy landsit might have been regarded as a point whereother portions of the remains of this giganticanimal might be found. There are known[illegible] where remains of the mamoth [mammoth] ormastodon have been found in Indiana.

The [illegible] and finder of the tooth, wasan uneducated – and rather unsophisticated manwho thought that he was going to make a fortuneout of said tooth as he enthusiasticallyexclaimed that he [illegible] an American antiquity.

The poor man was nearly distractedby a joke played upon him one evening onthe bridge that [illegible] the canal – to thebanks of the Wabash, where Chief [Francis] Godfroy’s trading establishment stood.

Some men were examining the tooth whenone of them, a wag, gathered up a stoneslyly and having [illegible] of the tooth, andexamining apparently with much interestexclaimed that it was of no value – He apparently threw it into the canal – but threwthe concealed stone. It splashed up the watergiving back – the natural sound of a something of weight up the surface.